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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. court — for sport
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. stock — shares
  6. court — of a king
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. court — of law
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stock — goods
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com